Hungry for More: Romantic Fantasies for Women - just published! With stories by Tiffany Reisz, Greta Christina, D.L. King and more. 21 fantasies, from "Kitchen Slut" to a cougar to Craigslist sex to BDSM to bukkake to watching two men get it on, and more!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

For Vulture's No Respect Week, I interviewed romance novelist Eloisa James, who's also a tenured Fordham professor of English literature, about feminism, sexuality, why romance is so hated, The Fault in Our Stars and more.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Change is always scary for me, positive or negative, but I often forget that changes that start from a dark, uncertain place often lead to paths I never would have encountered, so in a backwards way, I have to be grateful for them. This year started off pretty awfully; I simply wasn’t prepared, mentally or emotionally, for the sad reality of my royalty statement. I’d done that thing you are never supposed to do—assume—and it came back to bite me in the ass. Over the course of a year, my royalty check dropped 90%, and while I’d expected perhaps a gradual demise, that drastic of a change threw me.

I wasn’t ready and was panicked because I didn’t see myself getting a full-time job in my county, and while I applied for some in New York, a three-hour daily commute would cost time and money that I hoped could be better spent. So we looked at ways to reduce expenses and lo and behold, found a fabulous house that I think I can safely say my boyfriend and I are much happier in than we were in our lovely but yuppie overpriced apartment. We didn’t know the old place wasn’t the perfect fit until this unexpected bad news.

Since then the one statement I’ve received has been a little better, and I hope that with the audiobook success of Gotta Have It and The Big Book of Orgasms plus whatever luck and mojo and whatever else goes into people’s erotica buying decisions, I am on track to have a much better 2014 sales track. But I learned that I can’t rely on those books, no matter how hard I’ve worked on them, how sexy the covers, how many readings or events I do or reviews the books get, to pay my rent. That is too risky and dangerous. So instead I buckled down and tried to be a better freelance writer, to follow up on leads, to push myself, to pursue topics that have nothing to do with sex, because I want to be a writer, not just a “sex writer” (I don’t mind being called a sex writer, but I’m tremendously grateful for editors who assign me stories that aren’t about sex too).

That panic itself and resulting realization that I need to carve new career paths and always be seeking new work and never being complacent was the silver lining. It let me be okay with the fact that these latest anthologies I’ve edited and have slated to come out this year and in 2015 may be my last. Would I miss the rhythm of the process if that’s the case? Of course. I’ve been editing anthologies steadily for the last decade. I’d like to think I have a handle on how it all works. But maybe the lesson is that that’s just hubris. Maybe I have no idea how the hell to launch a book and was tricking myself into thinking I do. Or maybe it was just a momentary blip and my books will come back and sell better than ever.

There are so many parts of the process, possibly all of them, that are out of my control, that I’ve had to step back and only try to control the things that are in my control. Whatever the future brings, I want to be as creatively fulfilled as I can and learn how to be a better businesswoman. I used to say yes to any and every reading, which was fine when I had a full time job and could afford it. Now I’m far more selective because any money spent traveling is money I have to account for more closely. Maybe it’s worth it if the event is special (and I do have free readings coming up July 14 in Alexandria, Virginia at Lotus Blooms, link coming soon, and September 3 at The Foundation for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle), but maybe that money would be better used for bills or another form of promotion. There’s no magic way to know in advance what’s the best way to approach all of this and I am learning every day. That is also a silver lining lesson: don’t get cocky. Don’t think you know more now than you did with book one. Beginner’s mind, always.

Today I got to sit in my backyard while our landlord set up a tent for a party we’re having. I got to sit on my swing and read a book I’m hoping to write about. I got to take a day off to spend with my boyfriend. This week I’ll get to go to Book Expo America not to do a signing, but to interview an author. I feel so lucky to get to do all the varied things I do, and I know that if I have to give up one aspect of what I do, it’s only because there’s something better waiting for me around the corner.

Maybe I shouldn’t be writing this (then again, probably all my best writing someone will think I “shouldn’t” have written it”) but I’m not sad at all. I cried that day I sat at my desk and saw that abysmal statement, because it felt like everything I’d worked for all these post-law school years was for nothing. But now I see that it wasn’t a reflection on me as a person or even me as an editor. It was the marketplace, and it was a lesson I needed, a kick in the pants to get out there and not make assumptions and push forward no matter what. It was a lesson I’d been ignoring the past few years, content to float by on the so-so status quo, and this year forced me out of that mindset, and into a new beautiful home. It’s let me travel to cover events in San Francisco and New Orleans and has kept me on my toes hunting for the next story, and the next and the next and for that, Nothing is permanent in this business, at least, in my experience, and while there are times when that unnerves me, I truly believe that all that means is it's up to me to keep figuring out what the next thing I should be doing is. Maybe it means some time away from editing anthologies to focus on writing longer work, maybe it means finding better ways to get my books into readers' hands, maybe it means a part-time job. Right now, it means tackling the work at hand one day at a time and being away that whatever the next step is, I can handle it. I don't need to panic because I've landed on my feet after leaving law school, after getting laid off from my first and so far only magazine job, after various columns and freelance gigs ended. Each has made room for the next project or assignment. I can only smile and be ready for whatever kind of creative work the future brings, whether it’s something I’ve done before or not.

While it still says December 16th on Amazon, the actual pub date for my hot new erotica anthology, one of my very best in my opinion, is in August and while I have no advance knowledge of or control over Amazon pricing, I can tell you that the current Amazon pre-order price of $11.10 is likely the cheapest you'll find for the print edition (Bn.com has it for $11.32). With this book, every fantasy is different, and many are boundary pushing, including a woman getting it on with an 18-year-old. That was deliberate; I didn't want to play it safe or shy away from the taboo, the not just "naughty" but the truly naughty. For instance, "Madam Secretary" takes on a particularly notable spin considering a certain probably 2016 presidential candidate. You'll have to read the story yourself for the details on its political celebrity sex aspect.

I wanted to honor stories that took risks, that turned readers on while, perhaps, making them a little uncomfortable, pushing more than just the usual buttons, and I believe Hungry for More succeeds on all fronts. I think this will be a blazing hot beach read and can't wait to share it with all of you. Here's a little more info about the book and yes, it will be available as an ebook, probably in August or September, and, hopefully, an audiobook as well. These are both stories I want to read and stories I aspire to emulate because they pull no punches; they are daring and bold and feature women who pursue their most brazen fantasies, women I also hope to emulate. There are too many times with my writing where I play it safe, where I stick with the known rather than the unknown, and I'm so grateful that I didn't with my bukkake story "A First Time for Everything" (not, alas, the typo I made when I first typed this sentence, "A Fist Time for Everything") and that these authors didn't. So here's a chance to get this book at a bargain and in your hands as soon as it's for sale plus give the book a leg up because pre-orders basically do double duty in terms of holding a hell of a lot of power with online and brick and mortar retailers. The more pre-orders, the more copies the store will stock and attention the book will be given because they know there's a market for it.

When we fantasize, we give ourselves space to live out the naughtiest acts we can imagine. For me, fantasizing is like taking a trip to another world, where I can be as wanton, selfish and depraved as I like—and for that matter, that’s exactly what erotica writing does for me as well.

Fantasies don’t follow the rules, whether the ones society has set for us—and if you’re a woman, our culture has plenty of sex rules to rein you in—or the ones we’ve set for ourselves. Anything—and everything—goes. In the twenty-one stories in this book, I’ve tried to include both common and unusual fantasies, ones that speak to things you might do or want to do, ones that might unnerve you, ones that touch the edges of our most cherished taboos.

The title Hungry for More has multiple meanings—these characters do indeed want more, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more sex just to have more sex. Getting off isn’t a numbers game to these characters; it’s about accessing more pleasure, pushing more boundaries, trying new things, sometimes with new partners. Even when they get more of whatever it is they crave, they’re still hungry, because fulfilling one fantasy isn’t the end of their pleasure, but the beginning of a new and grand adventure.

The common thread here, whether the characters are having sex with strangers from Craig’s List, the organic produce clerk or the secretary of state, is that these women are unabashed in their desires. They may recognize that others might look at them askance, as in Valerie Alexander’s “Jailbait Torch Song,” but they follow through anyway, not letting anyone stop them from experiencing the ultimate thrill of playing out a dirty dream that’s often followed them through lovers, relationships and plenty of orgasms. These women often surprise their lovers with their adamant affirmations of lust, but they quickly realize the thrills to be found in venturing beyond their usual erotic boundaries.

The women in these pages know fantasies have a way of finding us, even—or especially—when we try to disavow them. They don’t care about propriety, reputations or acceptability. These fantasies—of public sex, BDSM, strap-on play, lesbian encounters, bukkake, watching male lovers and much more—speak so loudly they cannot be ignored. They insist on being heard, seen, touched. While in real life we may keep our most treasured fantasies tucked away for our most secret selves, in these tales, women’s fantasies are front and center, every explicit act laid bare. Luckily, here, in a book that perhaps you’ll enjoy in bed, or the bath, or wherever you do your erotic reading, you get to watch—and live vicariously through these brazen, taboo-busting women, who are willing to go all the way in the name of living out whatever wild, wicked scenarios their lustiest selves have dreamt up. I invite you to come along for the ride.

Friday, May 09, 2014

On Tuesday, May 13th from 4-5 pm EST, I'll be taking a break from RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans to moderate #SexTalkTuesday on Twitter. Just visit that hashtag and/or @SexTalkTuesday and join the discussion which will center around what makes a good erotica and what kind of erotica you like.

A reminder for New Yorkers and those who'll be in town for BEA (Book Expo America) that I'll be teaching my Writing Erotica for Pleasure & Money workshop on Friday, May 30, 7:30-9 p.m. for The New York Academy of Sex Education, to be held at The Pleasure Chest, 1150 Second Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It's $25, which includes a resources handout/bibliography and you can sign up right here. If you know anyone who wants to break into erotica writing, please let them know. Each workshop is a little different and I give practical tips on submitting to publishers and anthologies that are looking for your work now. I've been incredibly impressed with the attendees at NYASE and am looking forward to teaching there again. I'll also be fresh off attending RT Booklovers Convention so will probably have some extra tips!

Whether you’re writing to that special someone, penning longtime fantasies, or want to earn cash for your dirty words, this workshop is for you. You are sure to find growth with the very prolific, award winning erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. She will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing. Learn how to get started, find your voice, and write against type. She will talk about incorporating everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies into your writing. Rachel will teach you how to groom your writing to fit particular magazines and anthologies. And how to submit your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market (including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites). Materials Needed: Please bring a laptop or paper and pen.

Monday, May 05, 2014

Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking with Rose Caraway in person for her Sexy Librarian podcast, about everything from writing, reading and editing erotica to nipple clamps, BDSM, sexual fantasies, erotic remote controls and more. Rose is the most excellent narrator of the audiobooks Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex and my favorite of my books, The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories and, if I'm very lucky, hopefully more in the future. She is a genius with a sexy voice, a smart take on erotica, her own Cleis Press anthology out in my birthday month, November, The Sexy Librarian's Book of Erotica, her audiobooks outsell all my other ones many times over, with the Gotta Have It one outselling print and ebook combined lately. She also loves to give readers free stories, so here are a few from my beloved The Big Book of Orgasms that we mention in our discussion: Pushing Boundaries on Public Transport" by Victoria Blisse, "Book Lover" by Donna George Storey and "Forced Orgasms" by Shoshanna Evers, with more coming soon. Happy listening!

Sunday, May 04, 2014

It's ebook sale time again, through May 31! The Kindle editions of Tasting Him: Oral Sex Stories, all about blowjobs, and Best Bondage Erotica 2011, which kicked off the series and while it has 2011 in the title, these stories are as hot as ever for bondage fans. Check them out if you haven't already. I will always love my story "Gloss," about a very messy blowjob, in Tasting Him.

From a distinctly female perspective, lovers — committed and otherwise — explore the many ways oral sex can be an act of love, tenderness, and devotion, or a pure and unabashed sexual act. Readers will revel in the emotion and sensuality of this collection of stories, written by some of today's top erotica writers with the aim of creating full arousal.

Introduction: The Power and Pleasure of Cocksucking
Gloss by Rachel Kramer Bussel
A Treatise of Human Nature by Robert Peregrine
Quite a Mouthful: Confessions of a Sweet Cocksucker by Tish Andersen
This Just In by Heidi Champa
Blessed Benediction by Radclyffe
How I Learned to Give Good Head by Amanda Earl
Without Eyes by Terri Pray
Tony Tempo by Tsaurah Litzky
A Tongue is Just a Tongue by Michelle Robinson
It’s a Wonderful Blowjob by Simon Sheppard
Down on the Beach by Alessia Brio
Getting Used to It by Tenille Brown
Cocksucker by Lori Selke
Prego by Alison Tyler
Equanimity Unbounded by Craig J. Sorensen
Fellatio: A Love Story by Scarlett French
Logic by Jacqueline Applebee
Frosted by Kristina Wright
Long Relief by T. Hitman
Open Wide by Marina Saint
Sketch of a Suckoff by Thomas S. Roche
Sculpted by Shanna Germain
After Dinner Mint by Donna George Storey

A superb selection of stories from great writers who have mastered the not-so-gentle art of bondage fiction, Best Bondage Erotica 2011 is the debut of a stimulating new series. These stories of forbidden desires and sexual fantasies shock, scintillate, and mesmerize. Award-winning editor Rachel Kramer Bussel has created one of the most daring erotica collections, with work by Elizabeth Coldwell, Janine Ashbless, Dominic Santi, and more. How do you want to be tied up? Let Best Bondage Erotica 2011 count the ways . . . using everything from rope to handcuffs, silk ties to cling wrap, ethernet cables, and more. With stories that feature a sexy little mermaid, a randy circus act, an IT manager at a fetish club, and a Las Vegas photographer with an eye for kink, Best Bondage Erotica 2011 offers erotic insight for newbies and experienced players alike.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

The Kiss Me Quick's podcaster Rose Caraway has outdone herself with this image involving her, me and a Hitachi Magic Wand to illustrate Shoshanna Evers' story "Forced Orgasms" in The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories. Listen to it free right here and subscribe to her podcast in iTunes or Stitcher. Here's a snippet from the story, and do listen to the whole thing.

From "Forced Orgasms" by Shoshanna Evers

He’d been turned on by images of women all tied up since his teenage years. As far as Ivan was concerned, his sexual predilection toward kink was as natural as his lesbian friend stated her orientation had been; his had been ingrained since puberty. No trauma made him this way. No Freudian issues to resolve.

It was just that if he was going to get hard, the girl had to be tied up. And if the pornography he was viewing ended with the girl tied up with a vibrator still buzzing away in her pussy, he’d practically come in his pants. Forced orgasms. His fetish. His kink.